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From: kelly@uts.amdahl.com (Kelly Goen)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: How Hot is HEAT ?
Keywords: penetrators, armor
Message-ID: <13228@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 17 Jan 90 01:44:33 GMT
References: <12930@cbnews.ATT.COM> <13133@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: kelly@uts.amdahl.com (Kelly Goen)

In article <13133@cbnews.ATT.COM> ferguson@maitai.src.honeywell.com (Dennis Ferguson) writes:
>
>In article <12930@cbnews.ATT.COM> military@att.att.com (Bill Thacker) writes:
>>
>>Everything I've read about HEAT munitions says or implies that
>>the copper liner, which is compressed by the shaped charge into
>>a small-diameter penetrator, is melted in the process.
>>
>         [stuff deleted]
>>
>>Can anyone confirm or deny the molten status of the penetrator before
>>contact with the armor ?
>>
>
>The penetratror is mechanically deformed by the shaped charge and 
>while it is obviously very hot, it is not molten.  The penetrator
>is shaped like a shuttlecock to keep it aerodynamically stable (even
>for a short 'flight').  Once the penetrator hits the armor, it becomes
>molten.  I believe there is a chemical reaction between the penetrator
>and the armor.  I have seen the results of penetrator tests on steel
actually dennis it depends upon what material is used for the penetrator
lining and what geometry is used for the so-called shaped charge....
in SCMP shaped charges the geometry and explosive used often result in a molten
jet with the leading edge of the oncoming projectile being HIGH-speed metallic
vapor...with the so-called COPPERHEAD geometry... the technique used is 
is explosive deformation of the liner materia;... in conical stand-off charges
(used in structure demolition work) it is actually the HOT jet formed at the
apex of the detonation wave.... Another large area of variabilty is the
type and brissance of explosive propellant used...btw when project trinity
was first experimenting with implosion plutonium geometries... the initial 
problems faces were fragmentation and fragmentation of the plutonium core
without implosion taken place(read supercritical densities)...All of what I
have related to you is in the public domain from NTIS  sort of like
LA-1... The results of explosive lense testing is unfortunately still
highly classifed
    cheers
    kelly